GOSPEL OUTREACH TO SUDAN Woodward Park Church of Christ 7886 North Millbrook Fresno

GOSPEL OUTREACH TO SUDAN
Woodward Park Church of Christ
7886 North Millbrook
Fresno, California 93720
559-446-2550

September 25, 2008

Dear Brethren and Friends of the Gospel Outreach to Sudan,

The work in South Sudan was started in 1997. That year Brother Isaya Jackson, along with two brethren from Sunset International Bible Institute made a survey trip to the refugee camp in Uganda where Isaya had once lived. They were able to teach and several were converted and the church was planted. On that trip Isaya made the commitment to return to his homeland to live and to share the gospel with his own people. In 1999 he moved to the Kiryandongo Refugee Camp outside of Bweyale, Uganda. In the next eight years eighteen congregations were established in several camps in Uganda where refugees lived. They all were waiting for the time when they could return to the land they were forced to leave many years before. Thousands of people obeyed the gospel and several men were trained as preachers and church leaders. Everything done was in preparation for the time when all the Sudanese people could return to their homeland. That time came and the people were returned to South Sudan and they took the gospel of Christ and the 18 congregations with them. Today the door for the gospel is wide open in South Sudan. No other people on earth are more receptive to the gospel than the Sudanese people.

With this great opportunity came many challenges. This caused us to recognize that we may not have the time or resource to lead the work in Sudan because of our total involvement in the Lord’s work in Ethiopia. We started looking for a strong congregation to assume the oversight of the Gospel Outreach to Sudan. The elders of the Mt. Juliet Church of Christ in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee have agreed to take the work and are committed to working with all of you who have been so faithful. I have informed them about you and your love for the work. Soon you will be receiving a letter from them asking for your continued faithful participation as they assume the oversight.

The need to make this move was brought sharply into focus in August 2007 when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma. I have had surgery and radiation and am at this time being tested do determine other forms of treatment I may need to manage the disease as it seems to make its regular appearance. I am also making plans for my son, Kevin, along with Joe Boe here at Woodward Park to assume more and more responsibilities of the work in Ethiopia. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

In October you will start receiving the Sudan News Letter from the Mt. Juliet Church. My deepest appreciation goes out to them for their willingness to step in and provide the needed leadership. More than that, I want to say to all of you that the work in South Sudan would not have been possible without God’s blessing, the dedication of our Sudanese brethren and your commitment and prayers. I will be working closely with Mt. Juliet for as long as I am needed. Feel free to contact me at any time.

The address for the Mt. Juliet Church is: 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122.

Please continue to make your checks payable to the Sudan Mission Work.

May God’s blessing be upon each of you.

John Ed Clark

Brother Don Humphrey is a member at the Mt. Juliet Church of Christ. He will facilitate the Sudan mission outreach in the church there. He visited Isaya and the Sudanese work last year and will be making another trip in early 2009. DeWayne Griffin, an elder at Mt. Juliet will accompany him on that trip.

Don is pictured above with the members of the Kiryandongo church members and also as he preached for them during is visit. The number of members of that church was down because many of them had already been resettled back in South Sudan.

Don taught two groups of church leaders and preachers during his visit. The Mt. Juliet church is committed to the ministry of preacher training and preparing men to serve as leaders in every congregation. In early February 2009, Don and Dewayne will visit Ethiopia along with Isaya and Kennedy to look at the preacher training program and facilities there. They plan to use the Ethiopian Preacher Training Schools as a model for the school to be built in Magwii, South Sudan. Then they will travel to South Sudan to meet with the brethren there and develop a mission plan to reach as many people as possible with the message of Jesus. If my health permits, I plan to accompany them on that trip. We commend the Mt. Juliet church for stepping out in faith and being willing to take the oversight of this great mission effort. We will work closely with them in every step of the process.

The last 11 years of working with all of you and our brethren in South Sudan has been a wonderful blessing for me. The Mt. Juliet church will be a great addition to the working team as the gospel is taken to the millions of lost souls in the country of Sudan. Your prayers and continued faithful support is needed especially at this time. All of you have provided the means for all the work that has been accomplished. Please remember the Mt. Juliet church, the preachers and church members in South Sudan in your prayers.

John Ed Clark

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August 25, 2008

Dear Brethren and Friends of the Gospel Outreach to Sudan

Brother Andrew Ocheng has now moved from the refugee camp in Uganda to Magwii, South Sudan. He has built a temporary structure to live in on the land where the new preacher training facility will be constructed in the future. At this time we don’t know if his wife and family moved with him because one of his children has been undergoing treatment for tuberculosis in Uganda. If not, they will join him after his son’s treatments are completed. Brother Andrew has been a faithful preacher of the gospel since his conversion in 1997. He will work at the soon to be completed preacher training school and will be one of the leaders of the Kindergarten which will also be built at the same location. He will serve as one of the evangelists for the church in Magwii and the surrounding areas.

The tribal lands of the Acholi people of South Sudan also extend deep into Uganda. The brother standing with Isaya is Robert Okongo (right). He is from that area in Northern Uganda and has preached there for the past few years. He has helped establish 6 congregations. These six churches are considered Ugandan by nationality, but in their culture and language, they are Sudanese. Isaya speaks highly of Robert. Isaya described him as a tireless Christian worker. He is not among those who have had to go through the process of repatriation because he is at home in Northern Uganda. He is able to travel back and forth across the international border freely; no travel documents are required. He will continue to preach the gospel where he lives. One day when the preacher training school is completed in Magwii, he will be able to attend and learn. Just knowing there are men out there like Robert helps me know the church is doing well. Pray often for him and others like him.

Brother Sisto Mwaka is one of the preachers of the new congregation in Pajok, South Sudan. He had been one of the ministers at the Kiryandongo Church of Christ for several years before he was resettled back in his homeland. The book he is holding is a song book produced in the Acholi language. Very few of the new churches in South Sudan have even one song book and some have only one bible for the teacher to use. Isaya has indicated that a bible costs $5 and a song book $6. He has asked us to help purchase 120 bibles and 150 song books which would be distributed among the 20 or more congregations. It seems to me we might need to help purchase a few more than that. Perhaps we can and will over time.

This young brother is holding one of the tracts we took to the Kiryandongo Church last year. He is a member of the church and is from the congregation that meets at Aweno, Uganda. He treasures this tract which outlines God’s plan of redeeming man. He has used it many times as he studies with others about their relationship with Jesus. I didn’t remember taking the tracts until Isaya sent this picture and asked if we would bring more when we go to Sudan to visit the work in January of 2008. The airlines have now reduced the amount of luggage we are able to carry without paying extra. Somehow we must find some room to carry some of the tracts that have helped us grow so much in years past. Next time you walk by your tract rack, try to remember how important those tracts were when you were studying the simple truths of God’s Word with others. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons still use them effectively, don’t they? Perhaps it might be good if we returned to some simple basics.

When members of the church from the refugee camps in Uganda began returning to their home land in South Sudan, many of them arrived in Pajok. Three of our trained ministers also came home to Pajok. A church was established and a small structure was constructed meet in and worship under. It protected them from the sun, but not from the rain. But very soon, there was no room left and the people had to move outside. They found this location where trees provided good shade. Pole benches were put in place for the people to use. Soon all the pole benches were full. Then the bamboo and straw mats were spread on the ground for the people to sit on during worship. The congregation has grown to become one of largest in South Sudan. The local government has given the Pajok church 4000 square meters land to build a church building on in the future. (650’X 650’) In the picture by the tree on the right of the picture, you can see Brother Sisto Mwaka preaching at this assembly. A normal worship assembly in South Sudan meets for a minimum of 2 ½ hours.

Pictured here is a proud farmer. He received the seeds for this corn field through the assistance provided by Healing Hands International of Nashville, Tennessee last year. He has already harvested one corn crop and used seeds from that harvest to plant this one. Isaya reported that the 1050 families that received seed and farming tools have now become food sufficient. The weather in the area where our brethren live in South Sudan has been perfect for growing their food during the past two seasons. We are thankful that these brethren have effectively used the resources provided for them and now they are in turn helping others.

We want to express our appreciation to all of you who pray for and faithfully support the Lord’s Work in South Sudan. We hope from these pictures and words you can see your support is being effectively and efficiently used to help people physically and eternally.

John Ed Clark

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July 25, 2008

Dear Brethren and Friends of the Gospel Outreach to Sudan,

Twenty two men and three women attended a leadership training program hosted by the Obbo, South Sudan congregation in June. The participants were leaders and preachers from eight congregations located in South Sudan and six congregations in Uganda. The churches in Uganda are located near the South Sudan border. These churches were planted by preachers who attended the training sessions taught by Isaya and Kennedy while they lived at the Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in Uganda. Some of the preachers and leaders of new congregations in South Sudan were unable to attend because this is the planting time for peanuts in their area. Another session will be held in November to accommodate those who couldn’t come to this one.

This is the shelter where the workshop was held. It is also the meeting place for the Obbo church. The Obbo congregation has about 70 members and almost all of them came from the churches that formerly met in the refugee camps in Uganda. The Obbo members provided accommodations for the men who attended the workshop. Isaya said this was the most difficult part of the conference. The Obbo members have only temporary huts for their own families, but somehow they managed to

make room for others so that this good work could be accomplished. Every day was started with a 30 minute devotional. All the men were asked to participate by presenting short messages, leading singing or leading in the prayer times. Pictured on the left is Bro. Richard Juma leading the devotional message. Richard has served as a preacher in the church for more than 5 years. God is using experienced men like Richard to build up the church in South Sudan.

Isaya is pictured here with two of the ladies who attending the workshop. It was interesting that both of them are named “Rose”. One is from the Obbo church and the other came from the new church in Torit. The Torit church was organized by Brother Kennedy and is made up of refugee members who returned to their home areas from Uganda and Kenya. Isaya has always recognized the need to prepare ladies to reach out to the members and to the communities where they live.

Printed materials for this kind of workshop must be translated and prepared ahead of time. On the left, lesson outlines are being distributed to all the participants. Isaya used leadership lesson materials from the “Truth for Today” courses that are mailed to missionaries all over the world free of charge. The Truth for Today lessons is a wonderful ministry led by Brother Eddie Cloer from Harding University and provides thousands of preachers and church leaders in foreign fields with the tools they need to build and strengthen churches. Brother Cloer is to be commended for the wonderful assistance he had been to so many of the Lord’s workers all over the world.

Isaya purchased needed food supplies in Juba. The ladies of the Obbo church prepared three meals a day. There was a wonderful time of fellowship that surrounded the meal times. The facilities were very limited as there are no kitchens, no tables, no electricity and no running water. Food was cooked out in the open. Isaya said it rained some every day and made it very difficult for the ladies to do their work.

These brethren came from the six congregations located along the Ugandan and Sudanese border. They all came on bicycles. The trip took 6 hours each way. This kind of commitment humbles me and causes me to appreciate so much what brethren like these are sacrificing to make sure they are prepared to do the Lord’s Work among their own people. I know all of you who read this report share this same feeling.

During the workshop, community health workers came to Obbo to advise all the people about how they needed to practice good hygiene because there was an outbreak of cholera in the area. Cholera is a common disease in Africa which is spread by contaminated water and food. Isaya expressed his appreciation to these men who did a good job communicating the information to all the people.

Plans to construct a permanent Preacher Training School facility in Magwii are still in place. So many details have to be worked out and the title of the land must be changed to show the church is the owner. All of us are in a hurry to get this done; but it seems the officials don’t share our feelings. I appreciate the patience that Isaya and our brethren have and for their persistence in trying to complete everything required. Please continue to pray for our brethren and for the planned construction process. This school will be a wonderful addition to the work as congregations are established and trained preachers and church leaders are needed.

John Ed Clark